Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Because there seems to be no end to the increases in the prices of oil products, people’s organizations are calling for a nationally-coordinated strike on March 31 saying that oil companies are lying when it cites world crude prices in justifying increases in local pump prices. By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com

Various people’s organizations are calling for comprehensive steps, including the conduct of street protests and strikes to stop the oil companies from imposing more price increases. People’s groups are marking March 31 as a “national day of protest” against oil price hikes.

Earlier this week, youth group Anakbayan held a protest in Quezon City against the ninth oil price hike of the year, calling the increase unjustifiable even by what they called “the Big 3′s unreasonable standards.”

Oil companies Shell, Petron, Chevron and small players are expected to take advantage of the spiking world crude oil prices to further impose frequent price hikes to the disadvantage of consumers. Oil prices have increased four times in the past two weeks. Last Tuesday, oil companies raised prices of gasoline and diesel by P 1.50 ($0.03) per liter and kerosene by P 1.25 ($0.028) per liter, the third time in eight days, making the accumulative increases in the prices of gasoline by P 6.75 ( $0.15) per liter for gasoline and P 6.50 ($0.148) per liter for diesel since January this year.

(Photo Courtesy of PISTON / bulatlat.com)

“Whenever the price of crude goes up in the world market, local oil companies automatically follow suit. But whenever world market rates go down, local pump prices don’t follow” said Anakbayan national chairperson Vencer Crisostomo.

“There is no basis at all for the latest oil price hike, or for any this year for that matter, seeing that local petroleum products remain overpriced by the end of 2010,” said Anakbayan spokesperson Vencer Crisostomo..... MORE